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 Bringing together the corporate and academic worlds is rarely an easy undertaking. In this instance, human resource management specialists were convinced that their profession could not escape the overwhelming forces of computerisation. For their part, university researchers in artificial intelligence wondered about the practical applications of their work.
In spite of their different traditions, the two now share a common project: PerformanSe S.A.S.
It was truly a momentous occasion in that PerformanSe S.A.S. was the direct consequence of a fusion of two worlds which have historically had considerable difficulty collaborating with one another.
It has been an experience which has required the successful merging of two cultures. Solutions were found to accommodate two ways of reasoning and viewing the world as well as managing the constraints a company must face.
This experience has required the Founders to use all their individual resources to open themselves up to others without making value judgements. A great attempt was made to always remain conscious of the fact that, thanks to their differences, they could, on the contrary, create something richer and more original than was possible before. It also required that they understand that "knowledge" and "action" complement one another in a virtuous circle where time management can only be considered within the context of a medium or long-term partnership.
Now, PerformanSe S.A.S. has produced its own unique culture in this melting pot of good will which has extended to a large number of other Partners originating from these two worlds.
Now, PerformanSe S.A.S. is widely recognised as a model of a successful University-Company collaboration.
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PerformanSe S.A.S. has chosen to develop its tools using the most advanced technologies in the field of Artificial Intelligence:
- Knowledge and reasoning-based systems (Expert systems)
- Knowledge extraction from database (Data mining)
- Virtual reality
- Intelligent agents…
Through these technologies and their contribution in terms of working methods, PerformanSe S.A.S.'s objective is to offer operational and innovative solutions in the various fields of skills and knowledge management.
PerformanSe S.A.S. positions itself as a publisher of creative and qualitative solutions specialised in human resource management.
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 When dealing with computerised tools, designers and users must respect certain ethical and philosophical guidelines.
To PerformanSe S.A.S., this point is considered to be essential and is based on two principles:
- the profound respect of the individual's skills and knowledge
- the active implication of all participants in a similar approach: skills assessment or knowledge management
These principles are implemented through specific functionalities and respect precise rules:
- obligation to provide feedback regarding information and to exchange points of view about the results of a diagnosis or a simulation
- voluntary participation in any assessments or capitalisation
- transparency about the methodologies to be used and pursued objectives
- respect of the construction rules of the tools (validation principle)
- pre-eminence of human beings over tools; the role of the latter is merely to advise people in the decision-making process.
These principles and rules are an important aspect of PerformanSe tool design and they form part of every user training programme.
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Since 1988, PerformanSe S.A.S. has been collaborating actively by directing theses, DEA theses (equivalent to the first year of a PhD programme) or research contracts, with a network of laboratories such as:
- the CID team (knowledge, information and data) from the Ecole Polytechnique of the University of Nantes and the ERIC laboratory from the University of Lyons (knowledge management and data mining),
- the CONDILLAC team from the University of Savoy and the LRI laboratory (computing research laboratory) from Orsay (CNRS, French national centre for scientific research),
- the CERV centre (virtual reality centre) from the University of Brest (virtual reality and multi-agents),
- the Psychology Laboratory of the University of Rennes 2.
PerformanSe S.A.S.'s experience in the field of university-company partnerships has led them to conclude that:
- in the academic world, both the dynamism and wealth that exist only need to be harnessed in an operational way;
- many academics are ready to overcome intellectual and cultural barriers in order to collaborate with people specialised in other subjects. They are also willing to do so with the corporate world;
- taken together, these two worlds, provide a source of stimulation and emulation, two factors which are particularly favourable to innovation.
This "dispersed laboratory" model has been transposed within the context of the Fondation Recherche Vediorbis which was created under the aegis of the Fondation de France and in which PerformanSe S.A.S. has long been an actor. It aims at increasing the number of partnerships and at developing concepts, tools and professional practices which will benefit the general interest.
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In the field of human resource management, concepts, tools and professional practices are constantly being developed.
Moreover, the impact new technologies may have on knowledge management, the transfers of knowledge, skills assessment and representation, must be taken into account, even if this is not an easy task.
In this context, PerformanSe S.A.S. sees itself as an innovator that generates professional practices which better meet the companies' new economic and social requirements. They also better correspond to what our partners expect in terms of acknowledgement and respect of their identity.
That is the reason why PerformanSe S.A.S. has made tremendous efforts to improve its tools in terms of quality as well as diversity.
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